1999
by SlowQuotesQuill
Summary: AU. Chitanda Eru gets transported to a universe where Oreki Houtarou chooses not to enroll in Kamiyama High, and thus, undoes events that should have happened at the Classics Club. She must go to the root of the matter to know why he had changed his mind, if she was to go back to her own universe... and find out more about her three club mates in the process.


**1999**

* * *

_It's only you, only you who aren't by my side  
__Up until yesterday, you were right by my side, looking at me_

—**A Song that Ticks Away Time**, Lia (trans.)

* * *

**One:  
**_Bewilderment_

* * *

It was indeed the beginning of the new school year, Chitanda Eru noted with a refreshing smile as she stared up at the class lists posted out in the school yard. Everything felt new. The scent of the freshly-bloomed cherry blossoms was strong in the air, the wind carrying the lightly-colored petals with them as it swept across the open ground. Even these familiar sights felt as though she were experiencing them for the first time.

Pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she scanned the names on the first list for the sophomore year, quickly picking out her name among forty. Delightedly, she proceeded to turn back, when another name caught her eye.

She stared up, her eyes glittering at the pleasant surprise, when a tap on her shoulder made her look around.

"Morning, Chitanda-san!" Fukube Satoshi greeted her with his usual easy grin, a hand raised in a sort of casual salutation. "I see you're classmates with Mayaka this year. She'd be pleased."

"Good morning, Fukube-san," Eru greeted him back, and nodded enthusiastically. "I'm looking forward to working with you this year. Mayaka-san as well."

"Same," Satoshi smiled at her extreme formality. "Let's work hard and make good memories in the Classics Club this year as well!"

After waiting for Satoshi to search for his name in the lists ("ah, 2-C, not bad this year," he said with an almost apologetic smile as he went), they went up the General Block building together, some cheerful small talk springing up between them as they went. Topics of general interest switched back and forth, and it was with a general air of liveliness that they parted ways, Satoshi slipping into his room and leaving Eru to walk to the end of the second-year corridor, where 2-A was situated.

"_Chii-chan!_"

She found herself staggering slightly back out of the doorway as Ibara Mayaka suddenly rocketed toward her, ready arms flung around her neck.

"Mayaka-san!" she returned gaily, actually feeling the transfer of weight as Mayaka's feet momentarily left the ground, Eru being quite taller than she was. As she let go of her, though, Mayaka's expression looked comically relieved as she breathed out a huge sigh.

"Thank you for being my classmate this year, Chii-chan!" she said, and Eru looked mightily bemused at Mayaka's statement before the shorter girl muttered, as though an afterthought, "Because I can't believe that after escaping him for one year, he'd become my classmate again… And here I thought I was off to a good start in high school last year…"

"What might you mean, Mayaka-sa—?" Eru was about to ask, when Mayaka wheeled around and let her see her first peek into the room.

"Him," Mayaka indicated, her finger lifting, and Eru felt her heat lift at the familiar sight of the tall boy slouching over his desk by the window, chin on hand, looking out of the window lazily and watching the clouds slip by in the sky.

"Oreki-san?" she said, disbelief and delight mixing in her tone, and he turned ever so slightly, his green eyes darkening as they turned away from the light. He stared at her out of the corner of his eye, his gaze ever so steady. It made her feel a bit at ease about the opening of the year.

He just continued staring at her, letting her approach with Mayaka by her side.

"Good morning, Oreki-san," she greeted him happily. "I look forward to working with you this year as well."

"Mm." Apparently tired already, Houtarou dropped his gaze and closed his eyes. Beside Eru, Mayaka made a sound of disgust.

"You're beginning the day with your trademark rudeness, Oreki."

Houtarou's right eye cracked open and gave Mayaka a mildly annoyed glance. "Behave yourself, Ibara."

Mayaka sent him a death glare without a heartbeat's hesitation. Amused, Eru watched at the sidelines as Houtarou merely closed his eye again and let Mayaka win this time.

"It's a pity Fukube-san was separated from us," Eru thoughtfully remarked after seeing things cool down. Mayaka nodded lightly, her expression softening at the change of topic. "It would have been nice."

Houtarou, however, was as cynical as ever. "What's the use on wishing something that you can't reverse anymore?"

Eru looked vaguely indignant at this statement, while Mayaka muttered something about going back to her seat. Having left him to his peace as well, Eru looked back to see Houtarou staring at her, and then, realizing that she was looking at him as well, look away suddenly.

The bell rang, and she turned her head away, her hands fidgeting on her desk.

* * *

The Classics Club convened like usual in the Earth Science prep room, the silence of this side of Kamiyama High School soothing to everyone's ears as they gathered around like the usual, away from the noise of the milling students below, scrambling to their respective club rooms. Eru watched with a smile as Satoshi jokingly complained about the fact that he was the only one who wasn't in 2-A in the group, and as Mayaka began an argument with him about his grades. And as always, Houtarou sat on the chair closest to the window and read a book, his eyebrows in a thoughtful frown at the activity.

She thought that she would not want anything more if it was always like this.

Taking a tin box out of her bag, she placed it on the middle of the makeshift discussion table made of desks set up together, saying gaily, "I brought some rice crackers with me. We make them ourselves."

As they ate, Satoshi brought up the subject of recruitment. "I wonder if someone'll apply for the Classics Club this week."

"There are too many clubs in Kami High that are more prominent than us," Mayaka countered gloomily. "And there's the fact that we don't even know the true purpose of the Classics Club. Who'll join a club that didn't even have a clear purpose?"

"Well, there is that," Eru said slowly, looking down at the cracker that she was nibbling on.

Houtarou kept silent, and took his second cracker from the tin without as much as a sound. But when he had eaten it halfway, he paused and said bluntly, "The freshmen are more numerous this year. Perhaps some of them could have considered the Classics Club. However, there is Mayaka's argument—we _are_ the Classics Club, but I don't see any one of us reading classic literature any time soon. And there's the Literature Club for that as well…"

Eru nibbled at her cracker once more. "Hmm…"

Satoshi smiled. "Oh well. We have two more years to continue the Classics Club. If there were still no hopefuls by the time of our graduation from this school…"

Mayaka frowned. "We shouldn't be thinking that far ahead, right?" She paused, turning the bit of cracker left in her hand. "I mean… Thinking about graduation is… scary."

Eru nodded earnestly and backed up her friend. "Mayaka-san is right… We're just second years. We should make the best of our remaining time to make sure that the Classics Club reaps a good harvest this year."

Satoshi's smile widened. "Right. Sorry, Mayaka, Chitanda-san." He espied Houtarou, whose attention was now completely diverted from the book and into the conversation. "What d'you think, Houtarou?"

Houtarou shrugged, and returned to his book. Satoshi grinned and shrugged, while Mayaka caught Eru's eyes with an odd glance.

* * *

The afternoon had been uneventful, and one by one, they decided to call it a day and go home. Mayaka was the first to go, her bag clutched tightly as she went on her way to the library to see Itoigawa-sensei. Satoshi was the next one, and he and Eru looked dumbfounded when Houtarou said that he would pass up on joining him on the way home, as they weren't accustomed to his breaking his routine all by himself. Eru looked unsure as she remained on her seat, watching Houtarou as he stared down at the book that he had been reading.

The afternoon had been uneventful, yes. Indeed.

—_wasitreallyuneventful?—_

Standing up, she went by the window, looking down on the martial arts dojo like she had been doing on the day that she and Houtarou first met. Behind her, the sound of rustling as Houtarou turned a page of his book.

"Chitanda."

"Eh? Ah?"

She turned her head to his direction, surprised that he would initiate a conversation so suddenly.

"Wh-What is it, Oreki-san?"

He had closed his book, and was staring at her with his deep green eyes. He seemed to be thinking hard about something, as his fingers were unconsciously tugging at his hair. As if realizing, he quit his actions and dropped his hand, letting it fall on the table with a soft sound.

"No, nothing." He seemed indecisive.

Somewhat disquieted and disappointed, Eru murmured out an "I see," and resumed her vantage point at the window, seeing the kendo club finally troop out of the dojo like small shadowy specks.

Feeling slightly awkward, she decided to make small talk with him in the growing silence, and her eyes fell on the book when she turned. "Um, Oreki-san, what are you reading?"

"This?" Houtarou frowned at the book. "Some novel my aneki left in the bookcase back at home. I don't think it's particularly famous or anything. I do think it got popular for a short time when my sister was still here in Kamiyama High, though."

"Ah, I see." They fell silent again, and Eru turned back to the window, her face going rather pink.

Time went on, as they fell still.

Then—"Chitanda."

She could feel his eyes staring intently into her back.

The sound of the book falling on the floor snapped her to her senses.

—_chitandachitandachitanda—_

The floor suddenly shook under her, and she grabbed hold of the window as she felt the wave of nausea. However, the feeling left as soon as it started, and she stood upright, wondering what just happened. An earthquake?

"Oreki-san, did you feel that—?"—as she turned.

It was like vertigo, as she swiveled, dazed, looking at the suddenly empty club room.

"Eh?"

* * *

"O-Oreki-san?"

Silence.

"W-What—?" she whispered, confusedly, looking around.

She noticed that the framed copy of _Hyouka_ was missing from the windowsill, as was the cactus that stood in the middle of the discussion table. She walked away from the window, and stared at the door, which was shut. She didn't remember hearing Houtarou close the door, much less get up from the chair. She would have heard the legs of the chair scrape if he had stood up.

She walked tentatively to it, and placed her hand to slide it open. To her utter worry, it refused to open.

She was locked, alone, in the Earth Science prep room. Precisely like one year ago.

Unlike one year ago, though, no Oreki Houtarou went in to open that locked door for her, even as she waited for him to come back. And did he even leave her alone in the first place without any warning?

Suddenly remembering that the key was in her pocket (and getting annoyed with herself for having forgotten the fact), she placed her hand in, but felt that there was nothing inside but her handkerchief.

Now, she had virtually no means to get out of this place.

_This was definitely something curious… _

"Oreki-san?" she called out, and her voice was weak and timid in the silence of the room. The quiet was already unsettling her. It was different from the quiet that she normally experienced in this side of the Special Purposes Block building. It was as though even the very air was different. The change was subtle, but it was there.

"Fukube-san?" she tried next, and pulled at the door, hearing it rattle as the door refused to part from the wall.

"This isn't funny…" She stared in despair at the door, puzzling at why this was happening to her. Just thirty minutes ago she was talking with her friends in the Classics Club… What…

She noticed, however, the book left on the floor near the wall. Taking it, she noticed that it was the same book that Houtarou was reading earlier (_probably the book that I heard falling earlier,_ she thought, mystified). She stared at the nondescript cover, and opened it, rifling at the pages just to give her hands something to do. She noticed how her fingers shook slightly.

And then, the door rattled, and she could hear the key turning in the lock. A man looked in. "Hey! What are you doing here? It's past curfew!"

Feeling a great sense of déjà vu, Eru arranged her lips into a smile and managed a "Good afternoon, Morishita-sensei," bowing at a perfect angle. Morishita looked rather confused at this show of politeness, but soon reverted to his previous authoritative attitude.

"What were you doing in this classroom without permission? If I hadn't seen your shadow moving on the door… Even locking it behind you! What's your name?"

"Chitanda Eru. But, sensei," Eru frowned. "This is the club room of the Classics Club, why…?"

_Again, haven't I seen this before?_

"I thought that the Classics Club had been abolished," he retorted, exactly as what she had been expecting.

"I," Eru gulped, making neither head nor tail of what was happening. But vaguely, a theory was forming in her head. "You can confirm with Ooide-sensei, this club has been reinstated this morning since I have joined…" She hoped that what she was saying corresponded with her theory, and that it was correct.

Well, she hoped that it was right and wrong at the same time.

_Because if it was right, then… _

_What am I to do? _

"I see." Morishita rubbed his chin, his answer confirming everything. "Well, return the key after using it." He left, shaking his head in disbelief.

Eru decided not to tell him that the key was not in her possession. As the sound of his footsteps receded in the distance, she felt the questions coming.

_This is the past, isn't it? For some reason, this is the past, isn't it? _

_But if this _is_ the past, Oreki-san should have unlocked the door first, and then Morishita-sensei would have noticed that the door was unlocked as he was patrolling the campus and checked in. Instead, he noticed my shadow moving on the frosted glass pane of the door as I was opening it, and checked the room because of that. Why? _

_And… Where is Oreki-san? _

She looked at the open doorway, the seconds ticking with nothing stirring in her field of vision, and decided to get her bag and go. She slid the door closed, and went down to the faculty office to get the key to lock the door. Seeing the key still on the hook, her mood fell a few more notches.

_He's not coming. _

_Why?_

_But…_ She stared at the book that she had accidentally brought with her, the cover staring at her dully, as though trying to tell her something. _But why is this with me? _

_Is this some kind of clue? _

She wondered if she can search for Houtarou, but decided that the effort would be useless. She did not know where his place was, and if he wasn't going to the Earth Science prep room, then he would have gone home already.

She locked the door and went back to return it, a plan half-forming in her mind.

_Tomorrow, _she vowed. _Tomorrow, I shall find him._

* * *

However, the next day proved as fruitless and as confusing as the first.

Peeking into class 1-B immediately after class, she saw that the seat by the window, which had been formerly occupied by Oreki Houtarou, was empty. Cold.

_But I don't think Oreki-san absents himself from class that often… and certainly not in the first week of classes._

When she asked around as to where Oreki Houtarou-san might be, she received the oddest reply.

If it were any indication, the first girl from 1-B that she had asked replied like this.

"Oreki Houtarou? I don't think I know him."

"But he sits over there, right?" Eru pointed at the empty desk at the back.

"No. Some girl named Nishina sits there. Definitely not a guy named Oreki Houtarou." And the girl smiled, confused, as Eru backed away and out of the room, turned tail, and ran.

_Fukube-san. Fukube-san might know… _

She was losing her faith, fast.

* * *

Fukube Satoshi entered Kamiyama High School because he wanted more new experiences like a typical high school student, but it was with great apprehension when he turned and saw a breathless young lady rush in his classroom excitedly and clasp his hand in a paroxysm of joy.

"Fukube-san!" she kept exclaiming over and over, "Fukube-san!"

"Whoa, Fukube," one of his classmates said with a tinge of envy. "The first week of school's not yet over and you get some girl already rushing at you…"

"Come on." Satoshi grinned and waved the snickering guys away. "Shove off, maybe she has business with the student council…" And when the boys went off, he turned to Eru with a kindly smile and said, "Um, you called me by name… Do I know you?"

Eru stopped short, her smile and hands freezing at the simple statement.

_Ah, yes. I forgot. He still doesn't know me personally._

_ Somehow, it's… sad. _

"Miss?" Satoshi looked confused at Eru's reaction.

"Fukube-san…" Eru hesitated, and said slowly, "I—I'm… Chitanda Eru…"

As she had expected, Satoshi's eyes rounded out at the mention of her name. "Chitanda… as in, _that_ Chitanda? Whoa…" Composing himself, he laughed nervously and said, "So, what can I help you with, Chitanda-san?"

"Fukube-san," Eru said desperately, her grip of the situation diminishing with every moment, "Where is Oreki-san? Why is he not in his classroom? Why did his classmates tell me that they do not know him? Why are we first-years again? Why? I really cannot stop thinking about it, but Oreki-san… Oreki-san is…" And much to her surprise, Chitanda Eru broke down and began to cry, bewildering Satoshi.

"Ch-Chitanda-san?" Satoshi supported her to a chair when she sank to her knees, tears escaping from her eyes as she finally realized the gravity of her situation. "This… Calm down, okay? I can't really…" He straightened up and placed a hand on Eru's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "I don't know how you knew Houtarou, but…" He scratched his head. "He really won't be here, you know."

"Ah?" Drying her eyes, Eru looked up with a watery gaze, and noticed how disturbed Satoshi looked. "But… but why—?"

"Because he _is_ not a student here, Chitanda-san," Satoshi said, with an awful tone of finality. "He had had various issues so—he chose to enroll at another school." His brown eyes raked Eru's face. "And he's there right now."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

* * *

What. I love alternate universe stories. No. Really.

So the plot is basically: Eru gets transported into an alternate universe. There she meets an alternate version of Houtarou. And for some reason, this Houtarou did not choose to get enrolled in Kamiyama High, and thus she has to find out the root of the decision. Exactly what it says on the tin, I mean, the summary.

And then you get a trick question:

What if she falls in love with this Houtarou instead? GASP.

Oh, lookie at the cover of this fic. This alternate Houtarou definitely has something new going on. He has glasses, for goodness' sake. (I love bespectacled anime guys to death.)

Over and out.

P.S. Don't worry. Still working on the others. This is just an outlet. Tell me what you think, guys! This was, as usual, rushed.


End file.
